Physiological Psychology Course Blog

http://neurosciencenews.com/genetics-social-media-use-6565/ Summary: A new discovery has been made in the neuroscience field in which environmental factors does not have as much as an effect on social media use as does genetics. A Kent State student discovered this through conducting a twin study and applying an analytical model called Defries-Fulker (DF) Regression. His data expresses that approximately one-two thirds of social media use is caused by additive genetic traits, while the rest is due to the environment. It is important to note that this is the first study to show relation between social media use and genetic traits. Reflection: In my opinion, this is groundbreaking. The majority of the people in the world believe that excessive social media use is attributed to the fact that children are growing up with technology and are beginning to use it at younger and younger ages. But to discover that part of the reason is due to the genetics you are already predisposed with i

http://neurosciencenews.com/social-exclusion-brain-activity-6566/ Summary: This article talks about a neruoimaging study that analyzes the effects of social inclusion versus exclusion on brain activity. Just like a social network, your brain is its own network, and there is now research confirming that both of these networks influence and inform each other. There is evidence showing that those with closer-knot social circles had less differences in the mentalizing system and connectivity, than those who had a wider social circle. Essentially this means that the brain is used and responds differently based on the type of social network surrounding it. This has been a topic of discussion a lot in sociology, but now neuroscientists are wondering "How do your brain dynamics affect your social network and how does your social network affect your brain?" Reflection: I was very interested in this article. I used to be a Sociology major so I have read about this topic before an

http://neurosciencenews.com/caffeine-boost-enzyme-dementia-6211/ The enzyme NMNAT2 was found by researchers at IU Bloomington. This enzyme protects neurons from proteins that form into plaques in the brain. Researchers have now discovered 24 compounds that may increase the production of NMNAT2 resulting in enhanced memory and removing harmful proteins. Experimenting with compounds, researchers found caffeine as one of the 24 compounds that may lead to the boost in NMNAT2. Mice that were injected with caffeine and showed higher production of NMNAT2. Though caffeine is not directly linked to dementia through this study, it can open new doors to other researchers for exploring a relationship between dementia and caffeine, also looking into other compounds that may have a relationship with dementia. Along with compounds that increase NMNAT2, researches at IU found 13 that may decrease production. These compounds can help provide future research for discovering what may increase the ri

http://neurosciencenews.com/ect-psychology-6561/ There is a lot of controversy on whether people should have electroconvulsive therapy for major depression and other mental illnesses. The research found on ECT has been proven to improve patient’s mood, by sending the patient into a mild seizure. However, patients do fear the treatment, for it may cause pain or even death. Researchers in Denmark looked more closely at the fear behind ECT and found there seems to be a lot of negativity portrayed in the media. One movie that the article discusses is “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” based off the novel from the 1960’s, leaving a negative influence. In developed countries, anesthesia is used along with muscle relaxants, reducing muscle movement and anxiety before / during the procedure. However, in some countries anesthesia is not used, but the current of electricity is low enough that it does not cause any pain. After looking at ECT treatments carried out since 1976 to 2014, 16 out

Link:    <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/05/170501131702.htm>. This article discusses how fitness can increase memory function. As someone who is very much into fitness, I always find it very interesting to learn about how the benefits staying healthy can do for you. This study also emphasized the importance of the hippocampus, which we also discussed the importance of in class when talking about memory. However, unlike most studies, this study did not look at the size of the hippocampus, but the viscoelasticity of it. They found that when the hippocampus is more elastic, the better functioning it has. Therefore, subjects that were more fit tend to also have a more elastic hippocampus.     This is article is important because it gives researchers, scientists, doctors, etc a different tool when looking at memory  function when they had focused on the size of the hippocampus for so long. It also demonstrates how important memory is for the functions of a human being, which i

link: <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/05/170502084119.htm>.       This article discussed the new discovery researchers have found with parts of brain functioning and bipolar disorder. As a psychology major, I find this article extremely important for the future of psychology. The  article explains how researchers have found in MRI scans that people with bipolar disorder tend to have grey matter reductions in the frontal lobe regions that are involved in self-control, while sensory and visual areas are normal. They have also discovered through MRIs  that Lithium has been associated with less grey matter thinning in patients with Bipolar Disorder.      This finding is the first real connection that has been found between Bipolar Disorder and the brain as the article stated, can provide a lot of insight when creating medicine. This discovery leading them to create better medicine is extremely important and beneficial. Bipolar Disorder is the number one psychiatric disorder a

Scientific American, in 2016, published an article titled "'Neural Dust' Could enable a Fitbit for the Nervous System." In the article the author describes the methodology behind inserting tiny transceivers that use ultrasound waves to communicate wirelessly and without external power source the status or activity of a nerve. The authors describe the benefits of a small implantation, reducing infection risk and tissue damage around the implantation, as well as the benefits of being able to monitor multiple probes deep inside the tissues without the need for connecting wires or large electromagnetic-wave using probes. These "motes," made of small crystals and materials sensitive to sound convert the energy of a nearby nerve into a signal able to be communicated through the ultrasound setup. This technological potential is exciting, as it offers a possibility to monitor deeply embedded nerves and nerve tracts, even in the brain. Being able to, with minima

The journal Scientific American published in 2013 and article titled "Humans Can Feel Terror Even If They Lack the Brain's 'Fear Center.'" The article describes an experiment and its findings regarding subjects who had suffered damage to the amygdala through disease, making them seemingly incapable of normal fear-responses. The experiment describes the subjects' calmness when exposed to stimuli expected to frighten them, and the hypothesis of the experimenters that exposure to Carbon Dioxide, which the normal body will meet with a fear-response, would not elicit the same result in their amygdala-damaged subjects. Contradictory to expectations, the subjects did indeed have a fear-response which escalated activity and arousal. The authors highlight how this suggests multiple structures in the brain being involved in the fear-response than just the amygdala. In class we had spoken about the amygdala and its role in our perception of emotion and the sympathet

http://neurosciencenews.com/appetite-control-mechanism-6536/ New Appetite Control Mechanism Discovered in Brain There is a new discovered molecule that increases appetite during the times of fasting, this same molecule decreases when we are stuffing our face. This protein is called NPGL; its intentions is to maintain a constant body mass. Not exciting for those who are trying to lose or gain weight. Scientist have been aware that leptin is released by fatty tissues, and reduces appetite, while ghrelin is released by making us want to eat more. But overall these hormones actually activate a host of neurons in the brain (hypothalamus). This finding shows us that hunger and energy consumption is more complicated than it seems. Professor Kazuyoshi Ukena of Hiroshima University- the discoverer of the NPGL hormone, discovered NPGL in chickens, then researched more into it in other mammals and also mice. In his research he had three groups of mice’s and had them on different type

Link:  https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/evolutionary-psychiatry/201703/dietary-treatment-depression Summary: In a recent study a new dietary trial called the SMILES trial looked at a depressed population and looked to see how a dietary treatment would affect them. Individuals were to reduce the amount of unhealthy foods like sweets, fast foods, and sugary drinks for a twelve week period. Individuals were also provided with nutritional sessions where they were provided with some food and recipes. At the end of the twelve week period 32.3 percent of individuals were shown to have reduction in depression scores. The study shows that better eating can in fact make individuals less depressed and can improve other areas as well. Reflection: I think this article can relate to the topics of emotion and the homeostasis chapters. Depression can be something that even with treatment can plague people for their entire lives and sometimes certain treatments don't work for individuals or

Link:  https://www.forbes.com/sites/alicegwalton/2017/01/12/the-link-between-stress-and-heart-disease-may-lie-in-the-brain/#1abdd101f67f Summary: This article is about the relationship between stress and the heart. A recent study monitored individuals heart and brain activity over a few years and found a new connection between heart health and the brain. The observers found that individuals with higher brain activity in the Amygdala were more likely to have heart related issues such as stroke and heart attacks. Stress levels were also connected to inflammation of  the arteries in a study conducted on individuals with chronic stress disorders those who rated themselves as high stress had both inflamed arteries and increased Amygdala activity. Reflection: I think this article is relevant to our class in connection to the topics of emotion and emotion regulation. Stress is something that every individual experiences in their lives but it is also a very serious issue that not everyone

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/04/170427135925.htm Nose2Brain: Better therapy for Multiple Sclerosis  This article is implying that there may be a better way to help an individual who has multiple sclerosis. The approach of doing so would be directly through the nose, then to the brain. They would use a scope to deliver the drug straight to the brain directly. The goal is to enable a substance that is active to the required targeted site. In this particular case for individuals with Multiple Sclerosis, researchers would have to produce their effect about the central nervous system. Overall, I think it is good that they are trying to find better therapy for this disease. There is no real proof or evidence that this “treatment” has worked to stop Multiple Sclerosis or help keep symptoms to a minimum in this article.   I also think that this method sounds risky, and was wondering if there were any risks to this. Multiple Sclerosis involves an immune-mediated p

Link: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/24/science/citizen-science-video-game-neurons.html?rref=collection%2Ftimestopic%2FBrain&action=click&contentCollection=health&region=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=3&pgtype=collection&_r=0 In this article, the author shows video games aren't bad after all. In recent research, video games can actually help model an individual brain neurons. A computer science professor developed games in collaboration with an individual from the institute for brain science in order to seek better knowledge of the brain. The goal is to help researchers understand the cause of neurodegenative diseases, such as Alzheimer's, by cataloging neuron structures. Games like "Eye Wire" uses players mapping retinal neurons as a way to unlock mysteries. This article did an amazing job taking a topic that many think is not "healthy for your child", and broke it down in ways that show video

http://www.healthline.com/health-news/pregnancy-effects-on-brain#1 With my daughter turning one month old yesterday, I thought this article was relevant and interesting. The study shows that gray matter in the brain of new mothers actually decreases, though this doesn't happen for second time mothers or first time fathers. Although this may seem to come off as a negative effect it actually does more good than harm. They claim that this reduction of gray matter actually make the areas of reduction more efficient, specifically in reading body language. They continue to say that this helps mothers understand the body language of their newborns. They noted that there was no change in memory and negative side effects of being newborn mothers is most likely due to sleep deprivation and or stress. As this was originally published in Nature Neuroscience(a long standing publisher) it is likely to be a well conducted experiment that is easily applicable to understand just one of the many

link: http://www.brainfacts.org/in-society/in-society/articles/2015/bullying-and-the-brain/ The articled stressed the importance of bullying in relation to the brain.People who are bullied often struggle with depression, anxiety, poor self esteem, and drug abuse. These behaviors of those who were bullied can lead to long term changes in the brain. Changes such as emotional and cognitive deficits can be the result behind behavioral issues. The affects of bullying can be very stressful which often leads to drug abuse. High levels of stress can weaken the immune system; which, can be linked to psychiatric disorders. Overall, evidence shows bullying affects children both physically and biologically; therefore, putting them at risk of future health problems. Bullying has been a major issue in the U.S for a while now so that's why I took interest in this topic. In my opinion, the article took an biological approach to the matter that many people tend to over look. Many people think b

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/04/170411130722.htm This article talks about how people who experience signs of multiple mental illnesses instead of just one are causing researchers to look toward common dysfunctions in brain structures rather than just symptoms of an individual disorder. By doing brain scans on over a thousand undergrad students at Duke, they found that with most people exhibiting symptoms of multiple disorders, there are major differences in their cerebellum and pons. Researchers found that when a person has a higher p-factor score (exhibits symptoms from multiple disorders), there is a lower gray matter volume in the cerebellum. They also found less integrity of white matter between the pons which helps connect the cerebellum and the prefrontal cortex. The take away from this study is that some people may be biologically predisposed to exhibit a mental illness. A limit to this study was that the study may not be able to be replicated on a more diverse

Article: http://www.brainfacts.org/sensing-thinking-behaving/sleep/articles/2015/the-secret-to-memory-a-good-nights-sleep/ Summary: The article is about how sleep and memory correlate. It is mentioned that while we are awake, most information we gain is temporary, eventually, that same information is either stored in our long-term memory, or it is “forgotten”. Studies conducted over the years have indicated that sleep is essential for storing temporary memories into our long-term memory. So for example, if we study a particular topic and would like to retain that information for later use, the ideal thing to do is sleep. While we sleep, the hippocampus is very much active and works towards shifting temporary memories to long-term memory, with the help of the neocortex . Reflection: I think that this article was relevant to our class because although we have yet to get into memory, we have discussed the function of the hippocampus, which is very much involved in memory proc